Commuting by bike on a roll

Henry Kremer suffers from what he calls "age-onset athleticism." Kremer, 42, is an avid bicyclist. He also swims and recently started competing in triathlons.

So when he was transferred from New Port Richey, where he lives, to St. Petersburg's Carillon office park for his job as an investment officer with Raymond James Trust Co., he decided to try commuting by bicycle -- 25 miles each way.

"I find it much less stressful than driving to work," he said. "It takes me an hour and 10 minutes by car and it's bumper-to-bumper. It takes me about an hour and a half to get to work by bike and it's smooth sailing."

Kremer has joined a growing number of people around Tampa Bay who are commuting to work by bicycle.

In 1990, census figures showed that 2,339 people in Hillsborough County and 3,918 people in Pinellas County said they usually commuted to work by bicycle. By the 2000 census, those numbers had grown to 3,731 in Hillsborough and 7,279 in Pinellas.

Many bicycle commuters live near where they work, but the Pinellas Trail, the Friendship Trail on the old Gandy Bridge and the Suncoast Parkway Trail have made bicycling longer distances to work more desirable for people seeking an alternative to driving.

Now a group of bicycle enthusiasts is taking the effort a step further. They have started a system they call bicycle pooling. Cyclists can register their route online and find others who enjoy cycling to and from work and live in their area.

Routes are available on either side of Tampa Bay. There is even a route across the bay from Hyde Park to Clearwater.

Brian Hutchings is director of marketing for Bay Area Commuter services, a nonprofit organization founded by the Florida Department of Transportation to promote transportation alternatives in the Tampa Bay area. He says there are several reasons that bicycle pooling makes sense as a commuter option.

"One of the major reasons is because there is safety in numbers," he said. "But bicyclists are also very sociable people. They enjoy the camaraderie of riding with a buddy or two."

Having a bicycle buddy also encourages competitive cyclists to increase their pace, Kremer said. An added benefit on a windy day, is the rider in the back can "draft" the rider in front, cutting down wind resistance by using the front rider as a buffer.

Hutchings said he knows of about 12 people in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties who have formally signed up to bicycle pool to work, but there may be many others who are doing it on an informal basis.

One of the challenges of cycling to work is how to bathe and change clothes once the commute is complete.

Some employers offer shower facilities, but sometimes cyclists must find creative ways to clean up after a hot, sweaty ride.

"I've seen people bathe their whole body using just a sink and a bathroom stall," said Kimberly Cooper, one of the organizers of the bike pooling project. She commutes daily by bicycle to her job in Clearwater from her St. Petersburg home.

"I've been bicycling to work for 4 1/2 years," she said.

Cooper recommends bicycle commuters take advantage of the services offered by Bay Area Commuter Services. One is the guaranteed ride home program, which ensures bikers will never be stranded at work.

Riders who bicycle to work at least two days per week may be eligible for a free or low-cost taxi ride home for a personal or family emergency, unscheduled overtime or illness.

For those days of unexpected rain, riders can load their bikes on a bus using the HARTline and PSTA Bikes on Buses program. Many buses have racks so bikes can accompany riders, or cyclists can take advantage of the bike lockers and racks located at many of the HARTline and PSTA bus stops. Registration for Bikes on Buses is required.

While commuting by bike has grown considerably in the Tampa Bay area, there is still a way to go before bicycle commuting is as feasible and popular as it is in Portland, Ore. or southern California, said Chris Hagelin, 32, a research associate at the Center for Urban Transportation at the University of South Florida who bicycles 8 miles from his Seminole Heights home to the university several times a week.

"What really needs to happen here is more bicycle facilities, especially bike lanes," he said. "We are very much behind in putting more bicycle lanes on our roads."

Hagelin would like to see more people choosing bicycle commuting as a transportation option.

"I look forward to the day when I glance over my shoulder when I'm biking to work and see people following me."

Interested?

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